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PERTH-ANDOVER – Marion and Nickolaj Pedersen live in New Brunswick, but they can't get to the rest of Canada, or even pick up their newspaper, without illegally crossing an international border.
Now that the American government has adopted an "orange alert" security status – just crossing the road has become a hassle for the Pedersens.
They've lived on their Perth-Andover area potato farm 53 years. The property skims the international border with their driveway in Canada, and the road, centimetres away, in the United States.
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"It was out here when they stopped me," Marion says. " And he said `I'm going to take you in.' 'In where?' I said. And boy he meant it. He wasn't fooling. And I said, `Well what's wrong?' He said `You jumped the border.' And I said `Well, maybe yes, maybe no, but if I have, I've done it for 53 years.'"
Marion escaped prosecution, and eventually got special dispensation for herself and her husband Nickolaj to cross the street without getting into trouble with the law. But there's no such permission for anyone else who might come to the farm, not even her eight children who like to visit, or delivery or service people.
"He said `Mrs. Pedersen, you're alright, but you're not allowed to have anybody else here. No family.' I said `What about family?' `No. No friends.' `I said what happens tonight if say the water stops? And I have to call a plumber?' `Nope, not unless them come around by Andover and report.' I said, `Well, how can they get back in here? This is Canada.' Well that was going to be the way.'"
Now that the American government has adopted an "orange alert" security status – just crossing the road has become a hassle for the Pedersens.
They've lived on their Perth-Andover area potato farm 53 years. The property skims the international border with their driveway in Canada, and the road, centimetres away, in the United States.
(...)
"It was out here when they stopped me," Marion says. " And he said `I'm going to take you in.' 'In where?' I said. And boy he meant it. He wasn't fooling. And I said, `Well what's wrong?' He said `You jumped the border.' And I said `Well, maybe yes, maybe no, but if I have, I've done it for 53 years.'"
Marion escaped prosecution, and eventually got special dispensation for herself and her husband Nickolaj to cross the street without getting into trouble with the law. But there's no such permission for anyone else who might come to the farm, not even her eight children who like to visit, or delivery or service people.
"He said `Mrs. Pedersen, you're alright, but you're not allowed to have anybody else here. No family.' I said `What about family?' `No. No friends.' `I said what happens tonight if say the water stops? And I have to call a plumber?' `Nope, not unless them come around by Andover and report.' I said, `Well, how can they get back in here? This is Canada.' Well that was going to be the way.'"
). Cracking the whip on long-time residents of the area just makes the US border agents out to be anal-retentive jackasses for harassing innocent people.How does American Customs justify this sort of nonsense?
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